Walters No Longer Held in Suspended Animation

Barring any pregame calls to the NCAA by anonymous tipsters, Superman rejoins the USC backfield today.

His real name is Shawn Walters, but he’s been absent for so long--he last played a year and three weeks ago--his legend has grown to near-mythical proportions to his teammates and USC partisans, both of whom badly need a lift today against Arizona.

And Superman looks like the guy. We’re talking about the 225-pound tailback who:

--Once deliberately collided in the open field with a Baylor safety, who then had to be helped off the field.

--Once flattened three would-be Notre Dame tacklers in succession on a 22-yard run.

--Once carried three Washington defenders into the end zone on a 12-yard touchdown run.

But that was long ago. There are freshmen on this team who have never seen him play. Since September 1995, Walters has been in the NCAA jug, serving a year’s suspension after he was found to have accepted money from an agent’s runner.

Early this season, it appeared that Walters, now a senior, had played his last game after a phone tipster prompted the NCAA to tack one more game onto Walters’ 12-game suspension. He didn’t practice for several weeks and wasn’t on hand for the team yearbook photo shoot two weeks ago.

So all eyes were on Walters when he returned to practice this week, and he seemed surprisingly sharp, showing the old power and speed. He even seemed leaner than he was in summer preseason camp.

Walters won’t start today, but Coach John Robinson said he will play.

“I’ll get him started against Arizona, but how much I’m not sure yet,” he said.

Robinson’s is a team badly in need of someone to lead it out of the doldrums.

With eight starters in street clothes last weekend against Cal--including three defensive starters suspended for swapping their school-issued football shoes for clothes--the Trojan pass-blocking was practically nonexistent.

Quarterback Brad Otton was sacked six times, had to run for his life on several occasions and was apparently so surprised when there was blocking that he threw several one-hoppers to his receivers.

The most pressing need is at left guard, where the first two players on the depth chart, Chris Brymer and Faaesea Mailo, are still out because of injuries. Robinson started Brett Samperi last week and he was found wanting. Today’s starter is David Pratchard.

Each team is 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference. The Wildcats are coming off a 34-26 victory over Washington State in Tucson last Saturday. Three weeks ago, they lost in Seattle to Washington, 31-17.

USC has a commanding lead in this series, 18-4, and won the last two meetings convincingly. But series history meant nothing last week, when Cal came to the Coliseum, where the Bears hadn’t won in 27 years.

Chief among Robinson’s concerns today is Arizona’s pass defense, where Chris McAlister and Dennis Northcutt have six interceptions between them, best in the Pac-10.

The Wildcats also lead the conference in a category Coach Dick Tomey wishes they didn’t, penalties.

Arizona is relatively injury free. All-conference wide receiver Richard Dice is almost fully recovered from off-season knee surgery. He’s had nine catches in the last two games.

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Trojan Notes

The Pac-10 football officials’ coordinator has acknowledged that the fumble call on Delon Washington’s run to the Cal one-yard line last Saturday was incorrect. “I reviewed the video and I thought the play was not a fumble and I told the official who made the call,” Verle Sorgen said. “In my opinion, the ballcarrier’s elbow was on the ground, which is the same as having his knee down, as far as the rules go.” The call stands, of course. There is no Pac-10 protest procedure on incorrect officials’ calls.

Defensive tackle Darrell Russell, a junior, is one of 12 nominees for the Lombardi Award, given to the nation’s lineman of the year. One other Pac-10 player was nominated, Juan Roque of Arizona State. . . . New Zealand publicists are already cranking out releases for the Dec. 26 Haka Bowl in Auckland, which will match the third-place teams from the Pac-10 and Western Athletic Conference. The latest missive “guarantees” the best weather of any bowl game. December is summertime in New Zealand.

Arizona’s offensive coordinator is Homer Smith, 64, three-term coordinator at UCLA. He’s written three books on offensive football. . . . Arizona is outscoring opponents in the fourth quarter, 55-19, and quarterback Keith Smith has scored all five of Arizona’s rushing touchdowns.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

ARIZONA at USC

* When: 3:30 p.m.

* Where: Coliseum

* Records: Arizona (3-2, 1-1), USC (3-2, 1-1),

* TV: Prime Sports

* Radio: KLSX-FM (97.1)